UNITED Airlines says everything is in place ahead of the launch of its new daily non-stop New York/Newark-Johannesburg (EWR-JNB) service next month, with a picnic-in-the-sky virtual launch event held last week, and involving key travel trade partners in South Africa.
The inaugural flight to JNB on June 3 will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The return flight will leave South Africa on June 5. A direct Cape Town service, which originally launched in December 2019, will resume in Q4.
Bob Schumacher, UA’s director UK, Ireland, Israel, South Africa and offline sales, said: “The dialogue (with retailers) was excellent and the enthusiasm for our new service truly palpable. We look forward to serving South Africa year-round from early next month, as well as then welcoming back our seasonal Cape Town route from the end of October.”
Although South African residents are still not able to travel freely to the US on general tourism trips, Development Promotions, United’s local representation, said travellers with appropriate visas were being allowed entry. Development Promotions’ operations office said travellers should contact the US Embassy ahead of booking, while United Airlines’ website, www.united.com, has the latest on travel requirements. Access a handy ‘see what’s open for travel’ round-up here: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/international-map.html.
Packaging potential
The resumption of direct flights between South Africa and the US represents a significant turning point for the travel industry during the coronavirus pandemic. While inbound trade partners are already experiencing an upswing in bookings for travel to Africa in 2022, according to a recent SATIB webinar, outbound tour operators have a variety of product ready and waiting for booking.
Travel Vision ceo, Dharmesh Kooverjee, said uncertainty around travel bans and the resumption of international flights had made things difficult for tour operators. However, he said: “Before the pandemic, our Disney products were quite popular and we believe they will still be once travel starts up again.”
Thompsons Holidays gm – sales, Angela Wood, recommended a (land only) four-star hotel in Midtown Manhattan accommodation package for travel in October or November 2021, including three nights’ accommodation at the Radisson Hotel New York on 5th Avenue, close to the Rockefeller Centre, Top of the Rock and Times Square, return airport transfers, and a hop-on, hop-off tour, from R6 880 per person.
Thompsons reported an increase in requests for the US for travel from July to December. Pre-COVID, the operator’s most popular itineraries had included Walt Disney World (five to seven nights) and city-stay packages, mainly to New York, Washington and Las Vegas, or combinations of these, Angela said. Self-drive itineraries and self-catering vacation homes were two trip styles she said might be popular when travel reopened fully.
“Most of the hotels are now open again with the last four set to open before the end of July 2021. The theme parks are also now open, as is Blizzard Beach Water Park, [but] Typhoon Lagoon Water Park is still closed. Strict COVID protocols are in place in all hotels, parks and on transportation,” she explained.
“The most notable change to Walt Disney World Packages is that in order to control numbers, park attendance is now managed via a new Disney Park reservations system. To enter a park, clients will need a confirmed park reservation and a valid park admission ticket for the same park on the same date. We have rates for packages for the remainder of this year and for 2022. However, Disney Cruise Lines’ sailings in the US are suspended until the end of July 2021 at this point.”
South Africans want to travel
Kelly Jackson, md of The Travel Corporation (TTC), believes there is pent-up demand for travel to the US, and said the group’s North America programme was traditionally popular. “It is still too early in the vaccination roll-out programme to have seen a noticeable increase (in bookings). Based on feedback from our counterparts in other regions who have been vaccinated, the flood gates open quickly once there has been a substantial amount of vaccinations.”
She said the new direct flight and positive news surrounding the United launch would definitely generate interest and demand, adding that other non-direct options available to South African travellers had been QR, EK, KLM, BA and VS.
With an eye to the future when SA residents don’t need to quarantine in the US, Kelly said among TTC brands’ most popular US itineraries were the 14-day, two-country ‘East Coast USA and Canada’, ending in New York, and ‘Western Frontiers’, a 10-day ‘soulful exploration of the American Frontier’.
Kelly concluded: “At this stage, as we remain banned from more than 100 countries, we really need those bans to be lifted, airlines to return to South Africa, coupled with an effective vaccination roll-out, which has just begun”. She said it was vital that consistency prevailed in travelling conditions and regulations. “This will see consumer confidence return in order for the uptick to really happen.”
